At last! Desperate Housewives is back on Channel 4. So once again, we get to spy on the inhabitants of Wisteria Lane, not to mention shake our heads in astonishment and admiration at their sometimes eccentric dress sense.

However, while the show's resident glamourpuss, Gabrielle Solis, may spend most of her screen time alternating between Juicy Couture tracksuits and super-seductive lingerie, the actress who plays her - Eva Longoria - adopts a much more elegant, covetable style in real life.

Gorgeous Eva makes no secret of her love of couture: she once changed frocks 10 (yes, 10!) times in one evening at a Hollywood awards show. Her favourite designers include Oscar de la Renta and Michael Kors - but you don't have to have a movie star salary to emulate her style.

Ms Longoria's everyday style is all about slickness, sophistication and streamlining - coupled with clever details to lift each outfit out of the ordinary and give it an individual twist. An example? Eva dresses up jeans by pairing them with a tailored jacket and quirky accessories such as a sequined clutch bag or metallic shoes.

And talking of jeans, Eva's favourites are by Victoria Beckham's label, DVB. 'I'm not just saying this because she's my friend, but I love them,' Eva admits. 'She sent me three pairs - they're perfect.' If you can't persuade Posh to pop some in the post to you, DVB denims are available in department stores nationwide; for details, go to www.dvbstyle.com. Alternatively, try Oasis (www.oasis-stores.com) for wide-cut dark denims that bridge the gap between dressed down and smart.

Still, when Eva has to turn on the glamour for a red-carpet event, her love of dressing up and one-off vintage designer pieces really comes to the fore. Her all-time favourite frock is a 1950s-style cocktail dress by Gustavo Cadile - while her collection of Christian Louboutin shoes is enough to make any level-headed woman turn green with envy.

You can up the glamour stakes for a fraction of the price by browsing through the second-hand rails in larger branches of Topshop and Urban Outfitters: quirky one-offs and easy-to-adapt vintage garments are never that difficult to find, once you've conjured up some help from your inner fashion fairy!